# ~ Nocturne Eternia ~



## Nova Prime (Jul 5, 2010)

~

There was a small squeak as paws skidded around a tight corner, bolted at full tilt down a darkened alley. The single working street light in the street beyond spluttered feebly. Blake’s heart thumped feverishly in his chest, unable to shake the horrible feeling like something was right at his tail. Skittering to a clumsy halt, the bedraggled lump of fur looked over his shoulder, red and white eyes flashing to scan his surroundings, before hanging his head and exhaling. He was alone.

Shadowfoot Headquarters, like all the main hubs of the creatures here, was well-hidden, accessible only to those that were worthy. Blake had not turned down this alley without a purpose; within this labyrinth of streets in the older, unused part of the City was the closest thing to a home he had ever known. Glancing over at what appeared to be a solid brick wall, Blake closed his eyes and walked not into it, but through it, so seamlessly he could have been one of the Ghost Types himself. It was an incredible thing; to anyone not possessing the correct DNA, it was as solid as any other wall, impenetrable, a safety precaution against their deceptive enemy. He felt the veil of coldness pass over him like an examining light, deeming him worthy of the Shadowstep, and then he was thrust into a small, cold room, walled in blue stone. Small inclines either side of him led to two giant pipes, their link to the underground.  Water trickled from them and into small channels in the floor, headed to places unknown, and small clumps of green were dotted here and there, thriving in the damp. Dead ahead, an unfinished tunnel that smelt strongly of wet earth twisted and turned into darkness. Blake took a deep breath and darted forward, swallowed up by the shadows instantaneously.

~

“You saw *WHO?!*”
The word was spat from a bitter tongue, and Blake had to skip backwards slightly as the massive scaled tail of his superior swung around. He kept his eyes firmly on the stone floor.
“Again, Matron, I must reiterate; contact was momentary. I may well be mistaken. But…yes. I believe it was her.”
There was a stiff silence in the large room, and Blake felt intimidating eyes upon him. He could only imagine what was going through Nana’s mind. He heard a growl and the eyes stopped pressing. He chanced a quick glance up. The Tyranitar matriarch was staring off at something; what it was, he couldn’t see beyond the blackness that was the right side of his world, but he could wager a good guess. He bit his tongue to suppress his thoughts and looked back down. 
“…Thank you, Sullivan. You work is, as always, much appreciated. Well done.” 
Her words were melodious, and Blake couldn’t help the half-smile that crept onto his face. Everything was worth it to hear that.
“…Not at all, Matron. It is a honour.” He paused, the words he wanted to say lingering on his tongue. “…If…I may speak freely for one moment?” Nana said nothing. He shifted a paw, raked a claw across the grit in between two stones uncomfortably. There was a noise, like quiet laughter.
“Sullivan, you are always so formal. It’s alright. Of course you may speak.” Blake’s head shot up, opposing eyes both wide in an urgent look.
“Matron, I understand that the Syndicate’s Dutchess has caused you remorse. Please, if you wish to act, I would be only too willing to provide assis-”
“That is enough.” Nana’s tone was strong and final. An unreadable expression crossed her face, but she did not seem angry with him. “I understand. I will discuss this development with Grimsley and then you, along with the others, shall know of any further movements. Thank you.”
For one moment Blake felt how painfully pathetic he looked compared to his Matron; so scrappy and malnourished. He blinked, hard, and collected himself. Slowly, he inclined his head again.
“Yes, Matron. Thank you.”

~

Amongst the many rooms in the maze of tunnels and passageways that was Headquarters, aside from his own quarters, Blake found the communal comforts of The Den to be the place he could most be himself. It was easily one of, if not the biggest room in the entire place and it was never empty. Over the years, various human oddities and items had been taken down to this room, resulting in a mish-mash of places to rest, talk, and play. Human bedding and other comfortable items were scattered around, some had piled mattresses in veritable towers in the corners of the room. On rare occasions, some forms of electronics would be brought down, anything that could operate remotely. Blake had found listening to human music to be quite soothing. Perhaps going there would quell the tempest burning in his brain.

He entered quietly, tail hung a little lower than he would normally allow, mind deep in thought. Nana’s outburst made him question if she would act rationally, considering her situation. He felt a sudden wave of something akin to a powerful sneeze hit him hard and he stopped, shook his head, and looked up just in time to see a Kadabra pass by, hands placed together in meditation. Although Psychic powers had no effect on his own type, that didn’t stop the entire complex to be riddled with residual psy-energy, something he had been forced to get accustomed to. It wasn’t that he disliked them, he was just irritable, and their constant presence in his psyche got to him even on the best of days.

Spying a large, unclaimed mattress against the far wall, covered with a few thin blankets, he slunk across the room, making a beeline for it. The yips of young kits as they play-wrestled whilst their adoring parents watched on, or the dim buzz of chatter from others in the room seemed oddly distant today, and he didn’t even notice the nearby presence of the other members of his Squad present. He simply trotted the rest of the way to his small piece of solace and collapsed, paws hanging limply over the edge. The relief on his tired bones hit him all at once and he smiled slightly, stretching a rear paw. 
_I suppose for now, I can just sleep. No point in worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet._


----------



## Blastoise Fortooate (Jul 5, 2010)

The Bard looked for all the world like he was asleep, head under a wing and his feet curling tightly around a bamboo strut that was part of an overturned table. Now, he didn't _sound_ like he was asleep; for of course, like most of the time, he was singing. This time it was a catchy little diddy, one that the Honchkrow rather disliked. (Mostly because he couldn't get it out of his head. He had always found that the best cure for a caught song was to let it out, although sometimes that ju...

The Bard's head peeked out surreptitiously from his curled right wing. Who was that? Right, right; Blake. He was usually a nice guy, almost as scruffy as Bard himself. (Although the Umbreon probably didn't mess his fur up on purpose like he did) The fellow Dark-type looked tired, and the sharp-eyed avian Pokémon noticed a very slight limp. (Probably unnoticeable to those of average sight)

The Bard looked around. Perhaps there were some Murkrow children he could order to bring him a drink... Some Watmel juice in one of those boxes that the humans made would be nice. He tended to poke a large hole in the things with his beak, and then invert the whole thing to let gravity sip the juice for him. But alas, no Murkrow were around, or at least none young enough to answer his beck and call. The Honchkrow sighed, and began to whistle once again. This time it was an old, sad ballad.


----------



## Coloursfall (Jul 5, 2010)

Adeliede looked up from the snivelling Poochyena pup she was kneeling next to at the entrance of Blake, but turned back to her work just as quickly. The young one was sniffling and whining, but the damage was minor; an older sibling had stepped on his paw and broke a toe, but it was an easy fix.  There was a brief glimmer from Adeliede's forehead gem, and a tiny point of light shone into being above her head. She got up and stepped back, and the light stayed there.

"Stay zhere and let zhe light vash over your paw. It vill take a few minutes," she cooed, silky soft voice rather intimidating to the little hyena Pokemon.

She turned to the dark-typed Eeveelution that had just entered, examining him from a distance. She didn't see any wounds or anything on him, but one could never know. It was a trifle difficult to work her mental magic and read his mind, too; dark-types were a pain when it came to that. He looked awful dirty, too.  This would have to change; she mused, bringing up a front paw and absently lapping at the snowy-white appendage.  She payed little mind beyond a glance to the Honchkrow who was whistling, though she didn't mind the sound at all; it was rather nice, honestly.

The Espeon smirked a bit and made her way towards him, hovering until she was right at the edge of the mattress Blake had collapsed on. She stared down at him with her pink eyes, her gaze sweeping over him, up and down slowly and carefully, a doctor's gaze.  She said nothing, but just stared. He would hopefully notice her soon enough.


----------



## Mewtwo (Jul 5, 2010)

Moriah hovered slightly (as all Gardevoirs do) as she traveled towards the Shadowstep Headquarters. She had been in alliance with them since she was a Ralts, and because of this, she refused to break off into her own person, even though she thought it would be best. Maybe after we had control of the Night...

Moriah stopped abruptly; a solid wall. She walked - er, hovered - right through it, as if it wasn't there. She shivered at the dark coldness; she wasn't quite used to that, being a Psychic Type. She walked past Nana, the leader.

<_Hello, Nana. I am finished with my walk._> she telepathed as she went past on her way to the Den.


----------



## Crazy Linoone (Jul 5, 2010)

Flicker opened one pale blue eye -- his right eye, his future eye -- and observed his surroundings. The Den was noisy as usual -- there were a few young ones running around, playing, and the Honchkrow was singing again. One would think a Honchkrow would have a harsh voice, but The Bard's whistling was surprisingly soft. Flicker listened to the sweet, sad tune from his corner in the Den for a short while, then swept his one-eyed gaze to the Umbreon that just walked in. Flicker's future eye wasn't working well today, and Blake looked like a long, wriggling black line that extended from the door and terminated on one of the large mattresses placed haphazardly around the Den. The eevee kits appeared as light brown lines zigzagging through the room, sometimes overlapped by a similar, light gray line of a Poocheyena pup. Flicker shook his head and blinked, and the blur of the Den focused, for a split second, into a singular picture, then turned back into the mess of wriggles again. The Xatu sighed lightly and opened his other eye. He could usually see the multiple paths of the future about to take place, but today, he seemed to be stuck with just one. 

"The future changes with the present," Flicker muttered, mostly to himself. That single phrase was taught to every newborn Natu from their elders, and Flicker knew that his sight of the future is never sure -- Blake could always plop himself down on a different mattress. That was probably the most worrisome thought -- that Flicker's view was no longer the mere possibilities of the future, but of a single path that may or may not come true.

The Xatu locked his pale eyes on Blake, his head turning in a smooth arc as the Umbreon walked across the room and threw himself down on the correct mattress. 

The Bard was still singing.


----------



## Thorne (Jul 5, 2010)

Vincent was lying in the corner the Den, silently resting, almost waiting for his next task. The buzzing of voices in the room didn't bother him as much as it usually would, for some reason. Usually he disliked loud noises, but he found it rather comforting right now. Maybe he had simply grown used to it by now, but he doubted that was the case.

Simply observing the area, Vincent soon caught notice of someone entering the Den, namely Blake, and he felt it, again.
A slight warmth growing in his chest, which slowly crept it's way to his face. He _hated_ that feeling, hated it with passion. And he only hated it because he knew what it meant.
Vincent threw a second glance at him. He was miserable just to look at, malnourished, scrawny, ragged, almost "broken" in a sense. The way he felt,  was it out of pity? It didn't make sense, why him out of all people? He lowered his head to the ground and closed his eyes.

He really wish he understood himself at times.


----------



## Nova Prime (Jul 6, 2010)

Thin, bony sides inflated slightly as Blake heaved a sigh, groaning a little. This was nice. Random, unrelated thoughts darted in and out of his consciousness, too sketchy to be distracting. A sudden sound reached his ears and Blake's eyes opened ever-so slightly. A deep shiver ran through him, like a sudden chilled wind had found him. Wind in the form of a hauntingly beautiful song.
_I know that sound._ Flicking his eyes upwards, he saw a familiar form perched calmly atop a large upturned table. _Bard, you never cease to amaze me with how talented you are._

A more pressing image entered his mind. An Umbreon femme. A warm smile. He shivered and closed his eyes. But something was wrong. He could feel something pulling on the back of his head, not literally, but in his mind, the presence was there. Raising his head, he flicked an ear backwards. It was almost like another Ps-
"AH!"
Blake started, his body jolting as he suddenly saw a pair of great big pink eyes, like twin curious levitating orbs, watching him unblinkingly. He shook his head.
"Adeliede, I thought we decided you would stop doing that," he addressed the ivory Espeon femme, who hovered inches from the ground, with humoured exasperation. "Sorry...I'm tired, ha." He pulled his best 'I'm feeling happy' face, though he suspected the sleep lines showed still. "Have the little ones been keeping you busy?"
A flash of something white caught his eye and Blake glanced over, blinking blearily, and he caught sight of Vincent. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He made a mental note to make some time to speak with him at some point. But he saw Adeliede's giant eyes blink widely and the familiar feeling of strong psy-energy brought him back to reality.


----------



## Exo-Raikou (Jul 6, 2010)

In an isolated corner of the bedroom, the Alakazam known as Claude Frollo opened his eyes ever so slightly. The Psychic had been meditating when a sudden, incessant whistling had begun. One look up told Frollo all he needed to know about the cause: Bard.

_How typical that this impure is the one making that noise,_ he thought, _and what is even more typical is that these Pokemon actually_ enjoy _that noise. Has it truly been so long since this all began that many of our own actually consider those darks to be friends?!_ At these words he turned his gaze toward the albino Espeon that appeared to be speaking with an Umbreon that he recognized as Blake. While he had thought at the beginning of this affair that he could entice a Psychic such as her to his side, that idea was now all but gone.

_Jehan... this is not turning out the way you would have wanted. You would have been extremely displeased with me._ He turned his gaze to a wall that most saw as blank, but Frollo saw it bearing... something else.


----------



## Mewtwo (Jul 6, 2010)

((Since Nana didn't answer me...))

Moriah continued on into the Den, where a lot of her teammates here already there. She went and leaned against a wall, using Calm Mind in order to clear her mind. 

_So Sullivan and Young are here, as are Katastrof and Frollo._ She then heard The Bard whistling a sad tune. She grinned and added _The Bard_ to her list of people here. _And Flicker_ she added as a flash of green caught her eye.

She drifted into a state of light sleep, still against the wall.


----------



## Coloursfall (Jul 6, 2010)

The faintest of smiles flashed over Adeliede's pale features, her pink nose twitching.  She tilted her head to the left, ears flopping gently to the side, and drew her paw up to lick again.

"Zhey have not hurt zhemselves as often as usual today.  Just a broken toe, nothing else of any importance. I am more worried about _you_. You are tired, are you hurt?  Did you have a fright? I am here to help, Blake," she drawled, her wide pink eyes gazing down at her paw before slowly sliding back to stare at him.

Her forked tail twitched behind her as she spoke, a tell of the Espeon's; she did that when she was excited or happy.  The corners of the vulpine Pokemon's mouth twitched into another weak smile, and she placed her paw next to the other again, lowering herself to the floor to sit.


----------



## Nova Prime (Jul 7, 2010)

Blake stared at the mattress, but not really looking at it. A small smile was on his face.
"Just finished patrol, actually. Spoke to Nana. She wasn't happy." His face darkened and he dropped his voice. "I found a Syndicate squad, a large one. In our territory." He couldn't read Adeliedes expression but he usually didn't try to. He had learnt that emotion was not a strong suit for those of Psychic breeding. He suddenly remembered her other question.
"I'm fine, though. Thanks. Just tired." 

He stood up and stretched; he should have known he wasn't going to get any sleep. 

-

The quiet, distant trickle of water went unheard. A small, clawed hand leant against the solidly packed earth of the entrance tunnels. A low growl, a slow step. Nana was at such a loss. A silent, elegant presence approached and the ever-familiar wash of psychic energy reached her conciousness. An ally.
_...Hello, Nana. I am finished with my walk..._
That voice, now who was it... ...Moriah. An image of the Gardevior swam into her vision Her words registered, but Nana's mouth would not move. She blinked, the only action she felt capable of performing, and felt the presence fade. A nauseating wave of guilt hit her. She should know better than to treat her family like that. She needed to be strong, and...and she...
Nana pressed her eyes shut, forcing the tears that threatened her to recede. This was not the time. She turned around, but Moriah was gone. 

-

There was a clang and Blake's ears shot forward. That was fast.
A large, slow moving object emerged from a large tunnel. There was a scraping sound as large, spiked feet moved across the floor. Creaks and whines of old metal made several young pups squeal and run back to their mothers. Blake sat at attention.
Grimsley was an old, wise creature of immeasurable strength. Those who underestimated him paid the price. He had shown time and time again his loyalty to both his Coalition and their alliance. Wide, crimson eyes scanned the room calmly from between thick plates of steel armour. Drawing to a halt, he spoke, a gravelly, yet incredibly wise drawl.
"My Children, please, gather yourselves. There is news I must share with you." Blake could not stop a flash of worry crossing his face. Where was Nana? Was she alright? He glanced around the room, seeing other familiar faces; Flicker and Frollo, both such enigmas to Blake's untrained mind, but he held a cautious respect for them nonetheless. Moriah drifted soundlessly into the main area, her dress billowing elegantly, and he tilted his head quizically, wondering for a moment where she had been. There was a dull murmur and the scattering of Pokemon in the room began to assemble, some darting down private tunnels to call their families to the meeting, while Grimsley watched on, unwavering.


----------



## Coloursfall (Jul 7, 2010)

Adeliede frowned at Blake's words.  Ghosts made her uneasy, their spectral energy could cause searing burns and madness in her kind, disrupted their precise psychic control.  She nodded, furrowing her brows as she milled over this revelation in her head.  They were facing a powerful foe, and her skills were bound to be needed...

"Ah, I see..." She muttered, turning away from Blake after sweeping another gaze over the Umbreon. Once one looked past his scruffy outside, he wasn't such a bad specimen.  It was too bad he was a dark type. 

Adeliede jolted back to reality when Grimsley entered the room, and immediately hovered towards him and bowed.  Bowing, bearing ones neck, one of the most tender and fragile parts, to another was the greatest sign of absolute trust and respect, and Adeliede knew this. She looked up from the deep bow a few moments after, and settled to the floor in a sitting position.


----------



## Blastoise Fortooate (Jul 7, 2010)

The low dirge ended, dying along with the rest of the room's ambient noise. Once again, The Bard surveyed the room, head under wing; although he had already heard the newcomer's entrance (it would be hard to ignore the metallic clanking he made), but the Honchkrow wished to see him for himself.

As soon as he caught sight of the large-and-yet-graceful Metagross, The Bard's head bowed slightly; the Metagross had an impact  like that on those who knew him. (As evidenced by that Adey girl basically kowtowing to her leader. The Bard felt beneath him as well, which was odd as the Honchkrow was usually quite flippant. (Either Grimsley had a high-level Psychic effect on people or he was just that impressive; If the former was the case, than it would have to be even more effective on non-Dark types)

The Bard, still singing in his head, sidled himself around on his perch until his beak pointed at the Metagross, giving him nearly his whole attention. Another rarity.


----------



## Mewtwo (Jul 7, 2010)

A scraping of metal was heard before a gravelly, wise voice was heard.
"My Children, please, gather yourselves. There is news I must share with you."

Moriah looked up: Grimsley had spoken. 

<_Hello. Grimsley._> she telepathed to him, nodding her head solemnly. She normally didn't show this much respect to anyone, but it _was_ her leader. Since she was leaning against the wall behind him, she gracefully walked/hovered/floated/whatever to a space in front of him, full attention given, waiting for the meeting to start.


----------



## Crazy Linoone (Jul 7, 2010)

Flicker blinked as the vision in his right eye distorted and the room was suddenly filled with lines -- long, squiggly lines that split off at endless points. He could feel a powerful psychic energy sweeping through the room accompanied by a familiar clash of metal -- Grimsley was here. Flicker blinked again and focused on the present, where a large, metallic creature lumbered through the Shadowstep. 

It seems like Grimsley's psychic field had reset his eyesight. 

Flicker did not know how old Grimsley was. Whenever he tried to look into the past, the ghostly blue past of the Metagross stretched so far back that it seemed to have no end. It had given Flicker a horrible headache. All the Xatu knew was that Grimsley was old, and age had given him power and wisdom. 

"My Children, please, gather yourselves. There is news I must share with you." The familiar voice was grave but calm, and Flicker stepped away from his corner and walked forward until he was at the very edge of the group of pokemon that had gathered. He lowered his head slightly -- a sign of great respect in the Xatu world -- and stood, as still as a totem pole, his crystal eyes staring unblinkingly at the Metagross, waiting patiently for whatever message Grimsley may give.


----------



## Exo-Raikou (Jul 10, 2010)

Frollo ran a withered hand across the image on the wall that only he saw. This image depicted a Kadabra reaching out for him, all the while being surrounded by darkened clouds, and each of these clouds had a grinning face. As Frollo continued to run his hand across the stone, the clouds began shifting, until slowly, but surely, they began to enclose the Kadabra. And all the while, all Frollo could hear was frantic screaming, and as the clouds drew closer, the screaming became more frantic...

_Jehan... I'm trying to eliminate the impure... but I cannot do so while among them! There are far too many to eliminate at once... the ghosts are the first impure that must be cleansed, and yet...

And yet the presence of more impure is impeding me. The darks are holding me back form a complete cleansing. It cannot be so, and yet it is. I do not know how much longer I can bare this weight, and-_

His thoughts were interrupted by movement at the entrance of the room. Grimsley, the Metagross that lead the Psychics, and indeed, the only being that Frollo would openly obey, had entered the room. The appearance of the Psychic abruptly snapped Frollo out of his musings.

_Not now, then,_ he thought, _for now, I must ensure that I am kept under the good side of the leader. As long as I remain under his good graces, I should be able to cleanse the impure with ease._

With that in mind, he floated toward Grimsley and waited for the Metagross to share his news.


----------



## Nova Prime (Jul 11, 2010)

Blythe felt a powerful calm sweep across the room. It was familiar to him now; psychic types held a fond reverence of their leader, as he did with his own, and the focused mental energy was always felt amongst the Shadowstep. Grimsley blinked slowly, eyes remaining closed for a moment. Blake could not help but feel humbled at his presence. The fact that such strength was kept in check so gracefully by the wizened elder was something he could only marvel at. He had a sneaking suspicion that the Metagross was full aware of the respect he commanded. But if he did, he hid it well. Such was the nature of Psychic Pokemon.

Grimsley watched several members of both alliances bow and turn to him, and he waited with impeccable patience. The noise died completely. For several seconds, absolute silence pressed in on his sensitive ears. And then he spoke.
"My Children, I am certain you are all aware of the whisperings darting amongst our halls, and of the message that they bring."
He paused, a strange metallic groaning that sounded like a sigh escaping him.
"I regret to now inform you that they are accurate. Scouts have also confirmed. The Syndicate is encroaching upon our territory."
A murmur swept across the room, groups turning to one another to talk, but it did not last long. Grimsley moving a leg with a loud creak took care of that.
"I understand your concern, and I only wish the news I bore was more pleasant. But at the present time, we must focus on the task set before us."

Blake had been listening intently, paws tense on the edge of the mattress, noticing how Adeliede faintly smelt, both oddly and pleasantly, like antiseptic. He had not noticed the new addition to the room until she came to stand behind Grimsley, and he sat up a little straighter. Nana did not seem at all happy, like she had to force herself to walk with her usual dignified gait, to physically arrange her face into something resembling calm dominance. Grimsley did not turn, but obviously knew she was there; his eyes darted roughly in her direction and she was next to speak.
"Grimsley and I will each take a squad with us to patrol. This is a full alert, so please be prepared for combat if it does ensue. Two other squads will also be dispatched, to patrol outer areas and trace for any residual evidence of recent activity."
He wondered how many others noticed the matriarch's visibly clenched paw. He took a glance around the room; several tails were wagging with excitement, and all eyes and ears were forward.
"Omega Squad, you will patrol with Grimsley. I will request Gamma to prepare and follow me. We would like Squads Alpha and Delta to patrol the east and west edges respectively. We will expect a full turnaround in no less than ten minutes. You are dismissed."
Upon her final syllable there was an instant roar of talk and a swirl of colour as the room moved in unison, some flying straight into tunnels to prepare, others ushering their children into the caring arms of an elder. Blake had to skitter back against the wall to avoid being sideswiped by the long whip-like tail of a Houndoom. He felt a surge of emotion at the thought of what lay ahead and his rings suddenly lit up, illuminating gold on the worn blue stone of the wall behind him.
"Damn," he murmured, leaping off the mattress and darting through the busy crowd, headed for the front tunnels, and the pipes that would lead his Squad to the east side of the City. One thought pressed on his mind.
_Why didn't she ask us to go with her...?_


----------



## Wargle (Jul 18, 2010)

A lone stone sat in the corner on a mattress, shunned by everyone else. A loud metallic clang was heard and a few wisps of ghastly energy slipped out from the rock. Then a bit more filed out. It took the basic outline of its owner's head. Then the rest of the ghost phased into existence. Spectre, the ancient Spiritomb, awoke from his nap at the sound of Grimsley gathering his children. He smirked. He remembered when Grimsley was a mere Metang, young and reckless. Now he was the leader of all of the Psychics.

Spectre somewhat shivered at the message the Metagross brought. Even though no one was glancing at him, Spectre felt evil stares burning into his body. Many believed him to be a spy, because after all, he _is_ part Ghost. But half of him was Dark typed, and he was loyal to Nana and their cause. He felt betrayed by spme of his team because they distrusted him for being a ghost. No one talked, but Spectre could just imagine them wondering if he had led the Syndicate there on puporse, that he was a double agent.

When they were given their assignments, Spectre followed Blake into the tunnels. He stopped and turned around, facing his squad. "What, are you all on Liberty((relief from duty))? COme on! You heard the boss Lady! We have to get patroling!" Spectre turn and floated after the Umbreon, wondering how many of his squad are gasping that he refers to Mother Nana as 'the Boss Lady' with no reprimand.

((Hopefully this gives a little kick to you guys to get posting.))


----------



## Crazy Linoone (Jul 18, 2010)

"You are dismissed."

Flicker blinked as the room suddenly exploded into activity, with long, streaking lines of pokemon scurrying about the room excitedly. Flicker blinked again -- the mad chaos was starting to give him a headache -- and stepped to the side. Seconds later, a houndoom ran right through where Flicker had been and nearly whipped Blake with his long pointy tail. 

Sometimes it is good to be able to see the future. Flicker blinked for the third time, focusing his sight on the present. The streaking lines shortened, and the xatu swirled his head around, scanning for his teammates. Blake -- his rings glowing gold -- had rushed off into a tunnel, and Spectre followed shortly after. Spectre had always unnerved Flicker; the spiritomb's ancient age and ghostly air meant danger, and, in all honesty, Flicker was pretty sure Spectre can rip him apart in a few seconds if it comes to that. Spectre was part ghost, which was why nobody trusted it. While Flicker could see into the future and the fact that Spectre is unlikely to betray him, the spiritomb still filled him with distrust -- for one, the future is fickle. It changes with the present, the past, and, sometimes, even the future itself. 

Flicker started a brisk walk toward the tunnels, keeping his wings tightly folded against his side. When he walked past The Bard, he gave the bird a small nod. It'd be pretty nice to have some background music at a time like this. 

((Post, people! Post!))


----------



## Blastoise Fortooate (Jul 19, 2010)

((fine if just to shut you all up about it))

The Honchkrow nodded back to Flicker as he shuffled past. The Xatu always looked so _sickly_, but saying that a Xatu was strange was like saying that baby Murkrow needed to be order around. The answer to both was a resounding 'Duh!'.

As the myriad Pokémon hurried to and fro, the Bard took wing and flew after Blake. That loudmouthed Spiritomb had yelled for them to hurry up (it had been, like, _maybe_ a minute since everyone had started preparing, for Uxie's wisdom) and Flicker was there as well of course. The Bard glided on, and as he passed lazily by the Xatu he spoke up.

"Hello, Flick. How's the future lookin'?" The Bard already vaguely knew the limits of the Xatu's abilities, but it made for good conversation in any case. And with that he launched into a quiet whistle, a tune that he had heard issuing from one of those handheld human devices that was supposed to be some sort of game.

((It's totally not the main Zelda theme))


----------

